Psalms 78:61

78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; ¹ 

he gave the symbol of his splendor ²  into the hand of the enemy. ³ 

Psalms 132:8

132:8 Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place,

you and the ark of your strength!

Psalms 132:2

132:2 and how he made a vow to the Lord,

and swore an oath to the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁴ 

Psalms 6:1

Psalm 6 ⁵ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; ⁶  a psalm of David.

6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!

Do not discipline me in your raging fury! ⁷ 

[78:61]  ¹ tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.

[78:61]  ² tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.

[78:61]  ³ sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

[132:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”

[6:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.

[6:1]  ⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[6:1]  ⁷ sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).